Open Chronicles Sunny Days

[Eden Sinclayr]

Ah, her poor children!

Eden felt a twist of pain as the hounds struggled against the armored warrior. A tightness in her throat and a needlepoint in her side. Diluted through the loose and shifting threads of transformation magic. It felt like sprinting a long ways and losing her breath. For now.

As one of her beasts yowled and crumpled to stillness down the stairs, Eden titled her head back and let out a tortured cackle. "Ah ha, that hurts!" She gasped. Despite that little setback, she felt the other hound leap, finding purchase against the armored woman's neck. The growl of the still living beast had her straighten, a scowl on her own face.

Sharp footsteps echoed across the marble hall and into the gallery room. What wonderful timing her Xan had. Retreating, Eden slid back on bare feet until she was matched with those footsteps.

"Xanatos, you're late," she greeted the demon, her eyes still trained on the enemy at the center of the gallery. "Can you believe that's the same woman from before? She's after the Daybreak Medallion, but Prumorn's run off with the damn thing."

There was nothing like concern in the cast of her brow. The shape of her grin was wicked as she looked up sideways at her Most Loyal. The little dagger in her hand glinting with her blood. His power. "Let's make a show of stopping her."

Xanatos Dan'Talos Minerva

 

[Xanatos Dan'Talos]

"Forgive me Lady Sinclayr," Xanatos said, drawing his sword from its sheath, his nose full with the scent of iron, his teeth spread, hungry and long. The pupils of his eyes went wide and black, only a thin line of his red irises there about his hungry pupils, as he watched the armored warrior struggle with the last hound. "And here I was, worried there'd be little in the way of entertainment this evening,"

Predatory eyes watched the armored figure struggle and move. With a fluidity of motion beyond that which even the finest suit of plate would allow. It was like she wore nothing at all. Unencumbered. No. Amplified. Was this the woman's true form, Xanatos could not help but wonder.

Was she like him?

With a power locked deep within her bones?

How delightful.

"Yes my lady," Xan would answer. His voice tight with excitement. He sprang forward, long bladed rapier out, dagger drawn second. He would look for openings in her guard, and test with probing jabs, meant more to distract, mislead and harass. He doubted his steel could stand against whatever glowing power surged through her weapon. Like blue lightning.

Two on one, they could at least make this interesting.

Minerva Eden Sinclayr

 

[Minerva]

Minerva wrestled with the hound upon her back for a time as the blood mage noblewoman greeted some newcomer. Eventually she managed to throw the conjured animal off herself, though the creature still stood upon all fours.

She had a fraction of a second to take in this new threat as he rushed forwards.

A large tiefling with devil-like horns and a blade who moved far more gracefully than she imagined him capable of. The first parry came easily enough but the second or third grew more challenging. She wasn't sure if the man's blade would harm her if he collided with her arcarmor but after the incident with the hellhounds she couldn't take many more chances.

The spot where one of them had bit into her wrist actually hurt, hindering some of her motion, and the armor near the back of her neck had actually expended more energy than she expected. She needed to fell both of these foes quickly before exhausting too much of her stone's essence. There was a half decent chance she might still need her armor to find the medallion and for the journey home.

A wayward jab the man's rapier caught her off-guard. Forcing her on to her back foot just in time for his dagger to land a blow. Pain radiated up her arm though she was unsure if it had pierced her defenses or it was just the shock of the impact.

Using the strike to fling herself backwards she caught a bit of space between herself and the two attackers.

"You're very fast. Where did you learn to fight?" She just needed to catch her breath and think of a plan. Staying and fighting had its risk as did running. Evenings like this were why the Uroghoshi so rarely went into the cities, too many variables, too many unknowns.

 

[Eden Sinclayr]

Eden was having a grand old time - even if the strain of her muscles and the hitch of her breath was getting more tense as the woman dashed the second dog to the ground. It clamored down the stairs in a twist of limbs and yelps.

The woman spoke. Stalling for time, maybe? Not that it mattered to her. Time was a boon for Eden, not a hindrance. With Xanatos distracting the intruder, Eden had the room to prepare a second transformation spell. She crouched down low and traced another circle across the marble floor, dagger scratching invisible marks against the sleek surface. The hound was back on its paws, but instead of bounding up the stairs to attack the armored woman again, it retreated to Eden's side. She reached out and patted the beast on its meaty, hairless head.

"You did well," she cooed softly to her creation.

Standing back up, Eden made another slit in the pad of her thumb. A line of blooded welled up there, and dripped down her wrist. Off her elbow and onto the circle that glowed below her. What should she make, this time?

Maybe something with wings.

Xanatos Dan'Talos Minerva

 

[Xanatos Dan'Talos]

There was something that glimmered in the thin red ring about Xan's eye. A bit of pride, maybe, as he stood back in second guard, his feet slow to shift as he prowled around her, the long blade of his rapier out before him, his dagger held low.

"Where did you get that fancy armor?" he purred in response.

She had to be playing with him. Taking her time to think. The way that thing glowed and shimmered. Like it was alive. Like it was made of something far beyond the rudimentary metalwork that encased his own demonic flesh.

How it excited him.

There was another jolt of joy that shot up his spine. His footsteps stopped their measured plodding, and he gasped in a breath as fresh blood spilled from Lady Sinclayr. The narrow bands of red grew impossibly narrower, and his teeth chittered with excitement as his arm flexed with strength.

He dart forward, reckless, quick. He thrust that where he'd seen her hinder her movements some. Fiendishly fast. But maybe too predictable.

Minerva Eden Sinclayr

 

[Minerva]

"Trade secrets, I'm afraid."

Minerva barely paid attention to the Lady Sinclayr, oblivious to the fact that she was seemingly summoning some new abomination with whatever foul magics she practiced. Magics that sat diametrically opposed to the magic that her people practiced. Arcstones were limited, the arcarmor they summoned was a gift from the ancient gods who had formed Arethil.

What these people practiced was profane.

Behind her armor's face plate she had opened her lips to speak more but then the horned one thrust forward, moving with a surprising speed.

Minerva deftly evaded his first attack and attempted to throw a punch towards his gut followed by a swing of her sword arm. Although she didn't try to cut him down with the blade, instead aiming to knock the hilt of her weapon into his face.

Despite the work they performed killing these people wasn't on the agenda of the Uroghoshi. They were trying to seal up dangerous artifacts to protect these fools! She just hoped she could render them both unconscious quickly enough to still get her hands on the Medallion.

 

[Eden Sinclayr]

Eden's magic swelled. The runic circle burned against the cold marble floor. A form cast from wiry bones and membranous webbing crawled out of it, shrieking with the revelation of its new life.

She frowned down at her latest creation, as the last of its flesh bubbled into being. It wasn't an appealing shape. The body was too long, its limbs vestigial, and the head disfigured and blind. Its 'wings' were formed of its ribs, long jointed spines jutting out of its side in a grotesque manner.

As if to do away with her worries, the hound lunged forward and snapped its jaws around its freshly born sibling. The nameless creature shrieked louder as its life was stolen from it. Strings of flesh and membrane twisted around the hound, still volatile, the two forms merging together into one shape. The hound grew stronger, and bigger. Spined frills lined its back, and its tail was thick and whip like.

"Well, if you want to take your sibling's shape, then you'll do its task, too," Eden scolded the transformed hound. "Go find Prumorn, and bring the amulet he carries back to me." She tapped the side of her dagger against her cheek absently, in thought. It left a streak of blood there. "Gently, please," Eden added. "Do not harm the guests."

The hound gave one deep, hellish boof in response, and turned to run out of the room, padding across the marble on sharp claws.

Then Eden turned her attentions to the fight in front of her, wondering how Xan was holding up.

Xanatos Dan'Talos Minerva

 

[Xanatos Dan'Talos]

Xan liked this woman. Powerful and to the point.

He liked her all the more when he saw his thrust had missed its mark. His wide black eyes, with the thin red band of his iris, trailing after her, his wrist flicked, whipped the blade toward her to try and get a slice with a back cut along the false edge his his rapier.

What he was not expecting was the hard gut punch.

It struck into his midsection like a warhammer. Knocked him back and sent a shock through his frame. His feet found purchass against the stone floor. He benet he knees, pushed back just as the pommel and hilt strike swept twoward him-

CRACK

It caught him across the side of the head. Dropped him to the ground hard. His sword flung out of his hand and skate across the floor. Red and purple haze flooded the edges of his vision. He snapped himself back up, raising his dagger to meet what was surely there as he felt hot blood ooze out of where the sword's guard had struck him.

His head was ringing, and his vision blurred.

Yet, he was grinning with excitement.

Minerva Eden Sinclayr

 

[Minerva]

Madeleine didn't even have time to notice whatever Eden was doing.

She'd spend all of her time and energy trying to incapacitate Xanatos. Apparently the tiefling was hardier than she'd anticipated because now he was simply grinning back at her despite the blood trailing from his temple.

"Leave me." She contemplated a further strike towards him but resisted.

There was no reason to slay him or the noblewoman he served. They were merely fools of a society that believed that playing at god was acceptable. They were but pawns of some sick, perverse, system. "Stay down."

If he complied she'd attempt to depart and track down this Prumorn who stole the medallion away. If he attempted to fight she'd have to exhaust more of her arcarmor's resources.